International Women’s Day (IWD) is always a powerful occasion—the posts, the panels, the breakfasts, the hashtags. For one day, women are celebrated, seen and reminded to own their power.

But here’s the thing: it’s what happens after IWD is what truly matters.

The reality is that women continue to disproportionately feel the effects of stress, fatigue and burnout. The gender wellbeing gap is real (and I’ve written more about it here too), and it’s holding many women back—not just in their professional lives, but in their personal lives too.

The gender wellbeing gap persists

While there’s been progress in some areas in terms of women’s wellbeing, significant challenges remain.

Whilst global burnout rates have improved from previous years, dropping from 38% in 2023 to 35% in 2024, there’s a persistent gender burnout gap, with men at 32% and women at 38%. Research from the Infinite Potential found that women in intersectional groups experience some of the highest burnout rates (58-70% for females and 37-30% for males) and the lowest wellbeing scores (52-57 points) compared to their male peers (62-60 points). Global data shows that women’s burnout levels are stubbornly high with Verizon data showing 50% of women report feeling burnt out.

Global wellbeing has seen a noticeable improvement, increasing from 41 points (out of 100) in 2023 to 55 points in 2024. Yet, the gender wellbeing gap persists, with men scoring 60 points compared to women at 52 points.

The House of Wellness Women’s Health Month report paints a similar picture with women rating their health a six out of 10 and cited the culprits as stress, anxiety and the mental load. Women’s mental health is also taking a significant hit, with Gallup data showing that 42% of women reporting that their job has had an extremely negative impact on their mental health in the past six months. McKinsey Health Institute report suggested that “a woman will spend an average of nine years in poor health, which affects her ability to be present and/or productive at home, in the workforce, and in the community and reduces her earning potential” and women spend 25% more time in “poor health” relative to men.

Stress levels among women remain alarmingly high. Deloitte’s Women @ Work 2024: A Global Outlook report states that 50% of women feel more stressed than the previous year, a figure that has remained steady at 50-53% since 2022. Similarly, Gallup (2024) found that 51% of women experience stress most of the day, compared to 39% of men.

The message is clear: women’s health and wellbeing are at a global low—including here in Australia. To drive meaningful change, action must be taken now. It’s not about grand gestures on a single day; it’s about consistent, collective efforts every single day.

So, how do we bridge that gap? How do we carry the energy of IWD into every single day?

 
The answer lies in small, consistent actions. Here are a few practical, science-backed strategies to help women combat fatigue, stress, and overwhelm while boosting their wellbeing and performance. This is not to dismiss or negate the fact that we need broader systemic and societal changes to be implemented to support women. However, whilst we wait for those changes here are some tangible things women can do today to remedy the gender wellbeing gap:

1. Build Stress Adaptability

Stress is inevitable in today’s world, but chronic stress doesn’t have to be. The key is learning how to dance with stress.

Our bodies are designed to handle short bursts of stress, but only if we resolve the stress cycle. This could be as simple as:

Taking a 2-10 minute break to do something restorative. We’re designed to work and recover, work and recover. Could you breathe deeply (exhale-emphasised breathing helps to manage stress in real time), or ensure you’re getting enough sleep (poor sleep elevates our stress response)?.

Move your body to release built-up stress. Movement makes endocannabinoids (and a host of neuro-chemicals) that help to manage stress.

Connect- Social connection plays a vital role in women’s ability to regulate stress. Research highlights the “Tend-and-Befriend” response, which suggests that women may naturally seek social support, talk through problems, and nurture relationships as a way to buffer the negative effects of stress. The Women’s Agenda’s 2024 Women’s Health Survey found that friendships and social connections are critical for women’s health. Yet, modern lifestyles often leave little time to foster these relationships. Interestingly, 76% of women said that friends positively (and sometimes negatively) impact their physical and mental health.

When we build stress adaptability, we can go from foundering to flourishing.. And remember, stress isn’t the enemy; it’s unresolved stress that holds us back. If you want more science-backed solutions check out my Calm to Conquer Masterclass.

2. Optimise Your Focus (Your FQ)

Focus is one of your most valuable human currencies in a digitally demanding world. Yet, research shows that only we’re living in an increasingly distractable world.

To change this, work in alignment with your chronotype—your biological metronome that determines when you’re naturally most focused, alert and productive (your “power zone hours”). For example:

Bears (the majority of people) thrive between 10am-2pm.

Lions perform best early in the morning.

Wolves hit their stride later in the evening.

 
Protect your focus like it’s gold. By structuring your day around your natural energy peaks, you can radically boost productivity while reducing overwhelm. If your team wants to master their FQ, check out my workshop Fortify Your Focus.

3. Reframe Recovery

Small, intentional breaks throughout your day can work wonders. Here are a few ideas:

Close your eyes for 30 seconds to reset.

Try NSDR (non-sleep deep rest), which mimics the restorative effects of sleep without actually falling asleep.

Taking a 15-minute walk every two hours has been shown to improve focus by 29% and productivity by 33%.

 
Recovery is integral to sustainable performance. Think of it as a “pit stop” for your brain—just like a race car needs to pull in for maintenance to finish at its best, so do you.

The Bigger Picture: Why This Matters

The gender wellbeing gap isn’t just a women’s issue—it’s a human issue. When women thrive, so do workplaces, families and communities.

We can’t let IWD be a fleeting moment. It must be a catalyst for real, sustainable and ongoing change. Sure, we need to address structural and systemic barriers that hamper women’s wellbeing and health. However, there are more immediate, concrete things we can do to support women.

I’m thrilled to be speaking at more and more events where I’m delivering my Powered-Up Women keynote and what’s particularly exciting is that whilst some of these keynotes are being delivered at women’s events, many are being delivered to male and female audiences so we can invite and encourage men to join this conversation and collectively come up with solutions. We need nuanced conversations to find pragmatic and sustainable changes and male perspectives and insights play a pivotal role in closing this gap.

What’s Next?

So, what’s one micro-habit you’ll commit to today to power yourself up, or to support women’s wellbeing? Women, could it be a 2-minute breathing break, a 15-minute walk, or locking in time for a coffee with a friend that you’ve been putting off for weeks? Men, could it be asking your female colleagues how they’re really doing, or what your organisation could do to better (and genuinely) support their wellbeing?

Small changes lead to big results. Let’s carry the momentum of IWD into every single day and build a future where women can truly thrive.

Let’s do this—together. Floundering or barely surviving are not benchmarks for women’s success. Instead, flourishing should be every females’ success benchmark.

Sources:
1. Deloitte Women @ Work Report 2024: Stress and burnout statistics.
2. Verizon-Women in the Workforce, 2024
2. Gallup Global Emotions Report 2024: Insights on stress and wellbeing.
3. Women’s Agenda Women’s Health Survey 2024: The role of friendships in women’s health.
4. Research on movement breaks and productivity: Gartner study on proactive rest.
5. Taylor, S.E., et al. (2000). “Biobehavioral responses to stress in females: Tend-and-befriend, not fight-or-flight.” Psychological Review.